I've just received a fairly positive and well considered letter in response, having only sent my email (through http://www.theyworkforyou.com/ - thanks Peter) on Monday.

I know it's a small thing, but every little helps and if more people in positions of power can, at the very least, be encouraged to take a cautious stance about this and be properly informed of the dangers, then surely that has to be a good thing, right?

A good documentary on the experience of a community in the US who have experienced fracking at close quarters is "Split Estate". This is far from the only such documentary, but it can be viewed freely on You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj1Am482zlo. If fracking can cause such problems in very sparsely populated areas of the USA and Australia, these problems would surely be greatly magnified in a country as densely populated as the UK.

Yes Murf, rather a good documentary. The existing well density is eye-opening and the proposed density is pure madness. America is one sick country.

Each proponent of fracking shown in the film should "volunteer" to live for a couple of years in an affected house. Some of bare-faced spin made me feel like puking._________________"Buddhists say we come back as animals and they refer to them as lesser beings. Well, animals aren’t lesser beings, they’re just like us. So I say fụck the Buddhists" - Bjork

I went to my local Conservative Association AGM earlier and listened to my MP quoting figures on water use in fracking that I had supplied him with. Very satisfying!

I am now briefing him on the TTIP agreement that the EU is negotiating with the US and its probable consequences for environmental and employment laws in the EU. The fact that the provisions for safeguarding corporation's interests, the closed appeal tribunals staffed by corporate lawyers, will enable the corporations to have repealed any law that costs a corporation money or receive damages equal to their notional losses.

As the fracking companies in the US are exempt from most environmental laws fracking companies in the EU/UK could apply for damages and repeal of or exemption from similar laws in the EU/UK. Maximum hours laws and minimum wage laws could also be challenged by corporations. Slavery would effectively be back for all workers._________________"When the last tree is cut down, and the last river has been poisoned, and the last fish has been caught, Only then will you find out that you cannot eat money". --The Cree Indians